Brighton: Our First Trip to the Coast!

We finally got out to the coast with a trip to Brighton this weekend.  It was an easy 1 hour train ride from London.  It was a interesting place, probably very close to what I imagine Coney Island in the states is (I have never been there).  There is a huge pier with a boardwalk and amusement park on it with lots of strange people milling around and hen parties (what they call bachelorette parties in the UK), but we enjoyed ourselves and the warm weather. 

Getting his feet wet on the other side of the Atlantic for the first time!  It was also his 18 month birthday :)

Oops!  He went a little too far out before I got a chance to put his bathing suit on!

Every time he saw the Ferris wheel he just kept saying, "Wow"

I think Big T loves ice cream even more than his parents!

Beach bum!

Tyler really like to help out.  He's really close to carrying his own things when we travel - we just need some kid size luggage for him!

Look at his shirt - there is a picture of a lobster.  I made him take this photo!

Our delicate flower really did not like to get stones in his shoes.  He would stop and just give this pathetic whine until we would help him get the stones out.  It was brutal walking on this beach - they call it a shingle beach because of all the rocks.

Tyler learned how to throw the rocks in the water, a nice change from trying to eat the rocks.

He usually loves the carousel but he was very serious about this particular ride!

Fish n' Chips by the sea!

He didn't quite understand what to do here in the cutout!

The Kerns on Brighton Pier!

Tyler driving a "choo choo"

We took him to a playground there and didn't know it had a splash fountain.  So we stripped him down to a diaper since we know he can't resist.  It was getting later and the water was freezing but that didn't stop him!

We took the oldest electric railway a little further down the beach

Enjoying fine dining out in a mickey mouse chair!

He found a new kind of bird to chase: seagulls instead of pigeons!

In front of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton

The front of the Royal Pavilion

Busy Brighton station

The Royal Baby Boy!

I've been a little obsessed with this royal baby anticipation along with the rest of the country and the rest of the world.  So when I saw whilst (still giggle when I use British words like whilst) flipping channels that there was a BBC special report on - I immediately turned it to hear the big news.  There is just something exciting to me that we are here in London for the birth and the baby-mania and I'm interested to see what sort of celebrations are going to go on here for it.  I heard that the fountains at Trafalgar Square will be blue in honor of the boy so I think that Tyler and I will have to check that out later this week!  Not much else new here to report other than we are continuing to brave the hot and dry weather without air conditioning.

JJ took Tyler out for a day of fun at the Transportation Museum while I lounged at home. 

Looks like they had the museum to themselves!

We went on a nature walk to see this beautiful pergola and garden in the Heath

Pergola fun!

Big boy!  This place was perfect for taking pictures!

Our Cheeky Monkey

It is summertime in London!  There is a heat wave rolling here that is making it much hotter than usual.  We have been outside soaking up the rare sunshine for more than a week now.  Tyler is enjoying the pool, the splash pad, and running around in crocs and shorts instead of sweaters and sneakers.  On Friday during swim class I discovered the perfect description for Tyler - cheeky monkey.  The swim instructor used this term after he spent the entire class doing only what he wanted to do (which did not involve any of the things that the swim instructor was doing).  All the other toddlers in class were participating exactly how she was leading.  But not Tyler, he was running around the pool, or trying to flirt with the lifeguard, or climbing up and down the ladder.  After class I apologized and asked what I should do and the instructor just laughed and said, "He's the cheeky monkey - there is one in every class."  So then JJ and I looked up what cheeky monkey means and it's the perfect description for Tyler right now: mischievous, but cute about it.  He's not exactly naughty, but not exactly an angel either. 

JJ's Dad and Becky are here now and our cheeky monkey is enjoying having visitors to entertain.

JJ, Tyler and I enjoyed happy hour at the Wells Tavern by our place.

JJ and I made it to Bon Jovi - it was part of an outdoor concert series in Hyde Park!

The splash pad at Parliament Hill.  Tyler loved it!  We have gone nearly every day to cool off.  It gets super crowded because everyone has the same idea!

More picnics in the Heath.  I'm getting a little smarter with my picnic dinner selection.  Flatbread pizzas are much less messy than salads with a toddler!

There are free concerts in the Heath on Sunday afternoons.

Future beverage waiter at stadiums? 

These peonies I bought at the farmers market were in full bloom!

Really pumped to be at the Parliament Hill lido (swimming pool)

At the lido - Tyler loves swimming there.  I never thought it would get warm enough here to enjoy it but we've been back a couple times now already!

Big smiles for Alison, our nanny (who took the picture).  He's also really good at convincing the guys at the cell phone store down the road to give him a balloon - they have a whole bunch in the front and he always takes them.

At the cell phone store.... again.  He loves shopping at the High Street and wandering through stores.

We went back to the zoo last week.  The membership may be a little lost on him.  He is more interested in the statues, fountains, and pigeons than the actual animals.  But he has fun so we will keep going!

He's very serious about holding on while riding the tube.

Lovely dinner at a local pub with JJ's dad and Becky during their visit.

Happy 4th of July USA!

It's our first fourth of July out of the country and I'm feeling a bit more patriotic than usual.  Tyler and I were out and about in our red, white and blue today.  A small part of me felt a little strange celebrating the day that our country liberated itself from the country we are living in, but this whole experience has made me appreciate the US so much more so we are showing our home country pride!  Our babysitter is on vacation so this is is the first week in a while that I've had all week with Tyler in London.  I'm still amazed that we can find new things to do on any given day - there is just SO much to do with kids here.   Monday we explored a new part of the heath, Tuesday we spent all day at the Baptist Church in music and dance class (and it was all free - love those Baptists!), Wednesday we went on a new running route in the Heath and Thursday we bought our annual pass to the London Zoo!  Now JJ and I are looking forward to listening to Bon Jovi in Hyde Park tomorrow night and enjoying what looks to be another sunny beautiful weekend in London.  We are really getting lucky with weather lately!  Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Loving the wide open space in the Heath.  Tyler was so excited to be out of the stroller he just took off running in the wide open space with his snacks in hand.

Look how beautiful this is!  I love the old bridge in the background.

Feeding the ducks and swans in the Heath.

Most of the animals were asleep at the zoo but the penguins were super active.  Tyler loved it!

Tyler and his friend Nathan saying hello to the penguins.

Having the best time ever on the carousel.